Lesson 53: さがしてみます・つけておきます

N4 · Lesson 53 · 18 min — Say "try it" and "do it ahead of time"

You learned the te-form in Lesson 36, and it is useful again here. te-form + みる means "try doing it." te-form + おく means "do it ahead of time." First change the verb to the te-form, then add みる or おく. Remember the sound changes of Group 1 verbs (書かく→書かいて)! Let's read the comic first.

After this lesson, you can:

• Say "try doing ..." with the te-form + みる: 大おおきい 木きを さがしてみます。(I'll try looking for a big tree.)
• Ask "May I try it on?" and say "I want to try": 着きてみても いいですか／食たべてみたいです。
• Say "do it ahead of time" with the te-form + おく. It can also mean "leave it as it is": ホテルを 予約よやくしておきます／暑あついので、窓まどは 開あけておいて ください。

Yanaka Tree Hunt!

In the last lesson, Rin read the letter on the roof: a big cherry tree is outside the shop window. But it is October, so there are no blossoms, and he can't tell which tree is the cherry. Rin decides to find every big tree in Yanaka! (さか = slope; しるし = mark; ふくろ = bag)

〜てみる to try, 〜ておく to do ahead. Next: the important photo has vanished!

Words in this lesson: finding trees, marking, preparing ahead

• 木き (ki): tree
• 坂さか (saka): slope, hill road
• 地図ちず (chizu): map
• しるし (shirushi): mark, sign
• つける (tsukeru): to attach, to put on (a mark)
• ふくろ (fukuro): bag
• 置おく (oku): to put, to place
• 予約よやくする (yoyaku suru): reservation, to book (a seat, a room)
• 調しらべる (shiraberu): to look up, to check
• 着きる (kiru): to wear (a top, a coat)
• シャツ (shatsu): shirt (a T-shirt is Tシャツ)
• 窓まど (mado): window
• ジュース (jūsu): juice
• パーティー (pātī): party

Grammar 1 / 2: てみる

Te-form + みる: "try doing ..." (you do it to find out the result)

• What is てみる?: 〜てみる = try doing something. You don't know the result yet, so you do it first and see. You don't know where the big tree is → 大おおきい 木きを さがしてみます. You don't know if it tastes good → 食たべてみます. English "try ...ing" and "have a go at ..." are often 〜てみる.
• How to build it: te-form + みる: Change the verb to the te-form, then add みる: 食たべる→食たべてみる, 見みる→見みてみる, さがす→さがしてみる, 書かく→書かいてみる, 予約よやくする→予約よやくしてみる. The sound changes of Group 1 verbs (いて・って・して...) are exactly the same as in Lesson 36.
• みる changes too: みる changes like a Group 2 verb: みます (try), みました (tried), みましょう (let's try), みたいです (want to try), みて ください (please try), みても いいですか (may I try?). In a clothes shop, "この シャツを 着きてみても いいですか" means "May I try on this shirt?" You will also hear 試着しちゃくしても いいですか (試着しちゃく = trying on clothes). Both are common.
• Tip: write みる in hiragana: The みる here doesn't really mean "look with your eyes." 聞きいてみる (ask and see) and 話はなしてみる (try talking) have nothing to do with eyes. So the "try" みる is usually written in hiragana: 食たべてみます. You may sometimes see the kanji, as in 食たべて見みます. That isn't wrong, just less common. If the first verb really means "look with your eyes," write its kanji as usual: 坂さかの 上うえも 見みてみましょう (Let's go look at the top of the slope too).

• この ラーメンを 食たべてみます。 — I'll try this ramen.
• この シャツを 着きてみても いいですか。 — May I try on this shirt?
• 日本語にほんごで 話はなしてみました。 — I tried saying it in Japanese.
• いつか 京都きょうとの おまつりを 見みてみたいです。 — Someday (いつか), I want to go and see the festival in Kyoto.
• 先生せんせいに 聞きいてみましょう。 — Let's ask the teacher.

Grammar 2 / 2: ておく

Te-form + おく: "do ... ahead of time" (to prepare for later); also "leave it as it is"

• What is ておく?: 〜ておく = do something ahead of time, for later. おく originally means "put": you do it, then put it aside, ready for later. 旅行りょこうの 前まえに、ホテルを 予約よやくしておきます。(Before the trip, I'll book the hotel in advance.) English "in advance," "beforehand" and "ahead of time" are often ておく.
• How to build it: te-form + おく: 予約よやくする→予約よやくしておく, 調しらべる→調しらべておく, 買かう→買かっておく, 書かく→書かいておく, 開あける→開あけておく (you learned 開あける = to open in Lesson 40). おく is a Group 1 verb: おきます, おきました, おきましょう. Its te-form is おいて. To ask someone to do it ahead, say 〜ておいて ください.
• A second meaning: leave it as it is: You do one thing, then keep it that way and don't touch it. This also uses ておく: 暑あついので、窓まどは 開あけておいて ください。(It's hot, so please leave the window open.) If the window is already open and you hear this, it means "don't close it." Whether it is "do ahead" or "leave as it is" depends on the context.
• てみる or ておく?: てみる: you don't know the result, so you try. ておく: you know you will need it later, so you prepare. Juice for a party → 買かっておきます (I'll buy it in advance). A new juice you've never had → 買かってみます (I'll buy it to try).

• 旅行りょこうの 前まえに、ホテルを 予約よやくしておきます。 — Before the trip, I'll book the hotel.
• 行いく 前まえに、地図ちずを 調しらべておきます。 — Before we go, I'll check the map.
• パーティーの ジュースを 買かっておきました。 — I already bought the juice for the party.
• 名前なまえを 書かいておいて ください。 — Please write your name first.
• 暑あついので、窓まどは 開あけておいて ください。 — It's hot, so please leave the window open. Don't close it.